Thousands of people gathered today in front of the Capitol, in the United States, demanding a “moral revival” in the country and that the poor be better treated, in an economy with low levels of unemployment, but with great inequalities and uncontrolled inflation.
“There are many hidden things. Sometimes business owners say they give you a thousand dollar salary [953 euros]but discount five hundred dollars [metade] in taxes,” said Carlos Rojas, a restaurant worker who traveled from Pennsylvania to Washington to demand better rights for immigrants.
Carlos’ claims are just some of the demands heard, such as the organizers, the Campaign for the Poor, tries to unite different social movements around the defense of the social rights of the poor and the improvement of low incomes.
“We are 140 million poor and low wages”, could be read in many posters carried by the people who waved them in front of the stage, where several religious, social and activist leaders spoke, demanding “less greed” on the part of the companies and greater social protection of workers.
One of those workers, a man from North Carolina, told Efe that he came with his organization to demand “better working conditions” in his state and to fight for the unionization of the workers.
Demonstrators could also be seen wearing T-shirts in favor of the LGTBI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) movement, some with phrases in favor of political candidates and others with the name of the organization or the Federal State they represent.
US jobless claims at highest level since January
In addition, among the posters that rose from the crowd could be read the names of different Federal States of the country, such as Maryland, Kansas, Illinois or Florida, indicating the origin of the protesters.
Since March this year, in the United States, registers an unemployment rate of 3.6%, very close to the lowest in the last 50 yearswhich was reached in February 2020 (3.5%), although in the case of African Americans and Latinos these percentages are higher (6.2% and 4.3%, respectively).
Still, many Americans are worried about how the economy is doing because of the historic rise in inflation, and most people believe it’s “the biggest problem” facing the country, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center. .
US President Joe Biden has declared controlling inflation his top economic priority and this week the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage point, the biggest increase in 28 years, in hopes to avoid an unbridled increase in consumer prices in the country.
The Poor People’s Campaign builds on a similar initiative to the 1968 one led by Martin Luther King that culminated in a march on Washington demanding the White House address the country’s economic inequality.
Source: Observadora
